


Hellbent and Heavensent

by a_xmasmurder



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond - All Media Types, Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: AU - Magical Realism, AU - Shifterverse, AU - Supernatural, Bound to be a big one, Gen, Legoland, Lycans, M/M, MI6/SIS, Shifters, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-01-11 07:26:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1170308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_xmasmurder/pseuds/a_xmasmurder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are certain protocols one should have when working with the supernatural world. </p><p>No one said you have to follow these protocols.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *shrugs* Yeah, this is gonna be a thing.

Nightfall in Scotland.

 

The trees stood tall in the bitter winter air, glittering in the light of the bright moon above. Branches arched out, gnarled and dead, waiting for the warmth of spring to bring them back to life. Frost danced along the dark grey and brown bark, reaching its tendrils down the thick trunks until it touched the snow-covered ground. The forest in winter was overwhelming in its silence and dark majesty, the shadows stood stark against the white backdrop.

In those shadows, something moved. A rustle in frozen leaf litter, a snapping twig. The sound was a whip crack in the silence of the winter night. The creature that made it froze, instinct driving it to stillness. After a minute of silence, it moved again. A head popped up over the downed trunk of an old tree struck down by lightning during the summer. Fluffy paws pressed against the blackened bark as the rabbit kicked off its shelter and bounded carefully over the cold snowpack.While it was well-camouflaged against the trees and ruffiage, as soon as it hit the snow it was a target. The rabbit knew this, but it was on a mission too important to fret about the danger.

It was on the hunt for something to eat.

At the base of an evergreen, it found grass. Brown and crackly with frost, but it was sustenance. As it ate, its ears twitched to and fro, listening to the darkness surrounding it, waiting for something to attack. It knew fair well that it was prey for creatures much larger than it. It would have to make its dinner quick.

The rabbit moved around the tree, making very little noise other than the crackling of the hard shell of the snowpack breaking beneath its insulated paws. It worked as fast as it could, shoving as much dead grass into its mouth and cheeks as it could before the inevitable happened and it was picked up as a meal for a hunter. An owl keened somewhere in the forest, and the rabbit froze, its heart thumping hard against its sternum. When nothing came out of the darkness to attack, it resumed its feeding. Minutes went by, and the rabbit became bolder, braver. No predators in this part of the woods, then. It lingered, digging into the snow to find bits of greener leaves and flowers waiting for the spring thaw. Precious little food was to be had, but the deep winters didn’t pity the weak. The rabbit moved on, further away from its hole beneath the dead tree. It could smell something delectable in the pocket of brush just before the thicker part of the forest began, and it risked everything to investigate. What it found was nothing short of a miracle, if rabbits believed in such things - a bed of green leafy things on a white...something. The rabbit wasn’t sure what the white something was. It wasn’t as pure white as the untouched snow around it, but it was near. The rabbit sniffed and recoiled. It didn’t smell like things should smell. It smelled like things that didn’t belong. Its little nose quivered as it sat stock-still in confusion. The leaves smelled so good, and there was so many of them! But they sat on the thing-that-didn’t-belong. Hunger overrode common sense, and the rabbit stepped forward to shove the leaves into its mouth.

In the darkness above its head, two pairs of pale yellow eyes blinked slowly, watching the rabbit with an intensity not found outside of the animal kingdom. The eyes of predators. They watched the rabbit eat, nestled into their cozy spot in the brush, unmoving and silent in their observation. The rabbit never noticed.

It took a short time for the rabbit to get its fill. Belly full and hunger sated, the rabbit felt brave. Leaning forward, it investigated the white thing that the leaves had sat on, sniffing and stepping on it. It was hard, cold, and decorated with smaller leaves. It tested the small ones, first with its nose and then with sharp teeth, finding them stuck to the white thing. It twitched in confusion, unsure what to make of the thing in front of it. The owl keened again, much closer this time, and the rabbit decided that it had had enough festivities for tonight. It turned and bolted back to its home, disappearing in a split second.

The yellow eyes blinked again, faster now, and one of the owners of the eyes let out a gigantic yawn and stretch. Moonlight glinted off wet canines and sharp molars, a damp nose wiggling in the cold air, and the stretch turned into a tumble that brought a pale brown wolf out into the open. It rolled around in the snow, muttering and chuffing in the common language of wolves the world over. The second wolf crawled out of their hiding spot and chuffed at the rolling one, dragging a flannel blanket behind it, dropping it onto the plate.

 _/Jesus Christ, you nearly screwed the whole op up with your twitching!/_ It growled low in its chest, and the rolling one paused to glare, lips curling up to show a bare sliver .

_/I can not help it that damned horse blanket you insisted on dragging along itched my belly!/_

_/Would you rather be wet and cold or itchy and warm?/_ The grey wolf stretched, and the brown one tossed his head.

 _/Dick. We have winter undercoats and guard fur. We would have been fine. You are starting to get too soft./_ The brown wolf snorted and shook his body, flicking snow and water off of his thick coat. _/And since when did we start calling stalking prey an ‘op’?/_

The grey wolf rolled his eyes and huffed, flopping down into the snow. He refused to explain his reasons. _/Well, at least we still have it./_

 _/Stalking skills? Or patience? It took forever for that rabbit to come out of hiding./_ The brown one sidled up and bumped hard into the grey one’s shoulder. _/C’mon, tovarishch. Let’s call it a night and see if any of the pubs are still open./_

_/That sounds like a fantastic idea. Let’s get back to the manor, get something in our bellies. Stalking that deer made me hungry, and waiting for that damned rabbit only made it worse./_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: 
> 
> Death of family members  
> Blood  
> Terror
> 
> Thus endeth the warnings.
> 
>  
> 
> A Guide: As you have probably figured out by now, there's different types of talking in this.  
> Regular talking "Looks like this."  
> Talking while shifted _/Looks like this./_  
>  Thoughts _Look like this._
> 
> Thus endeth the lesson.

Darkness.

 

 _/Mum?/_ Jack nosed out of the blankets covering him and toddled onto the carpeting in his room. His large paws hindered him - he was still growing into them, his da would say as he laughed and picked Jack up by the scruff of his neck. Now, he fought not to trip himself up as he bumped into the assortment of stuffed animals strewn over the floor. _/Da?/_

He’d heard a noise in his sleep, and he couldn’t tell if it was part of the dream he’d been having or if it was down in the living area. At five years of age, he was much too old to be crying for his parents, but the dream was scary and he didn’t like being alone when he was scared. But the noise...

He pushed his door open a little.

Lights flickered from the hall beyond, and the hall felt a little warmer.

Then he heard the noise again, and squeaked in fright.

It sounded like an intruder.

 _/Mum? Da?/_ He yowled in distress, his mind racing in all sorts of directions. _/I’m scared!/_

There was no response.

Now he was really frightened. He wanted to crawl back under the blankets, but he was a strong boy and the son of a powerful leopard. He couldn’t shrink back from the things that scared him.

More noises from downstairs, and more flickering light.

Jack stuck his snout out of the door and sniffed, and what he smelled awakened a deep, primal fear that he’d never known before, not even in his worst nightmares.

_FIRE._

_/MUM! The house is on fire! DA!/_ He was screaming in his head, calling out for them even as he stumbled back into his room and grabbed his favourite blanket, the one with the kittens and puppies on it. He dragged it with him out of the room, slinking as well as his chubby small body could to his parent’s room. _/Mum! Da! Wake up!/_

He stopped in front of his parent’s room, frozen with fear. He could smell the acrid smoke now, could feel the heat rising from the lower level, and from the top of the stairs the flicker of fire could be seen even better. Jack blinked and shook, rooted to the spot, because beyond the smell of fire and smoke he could smell something more, something even more terrifying.

Blood.

He mewled and whimpered, squeaking out his terror. With a will he dredged up from inside his tiny body, he moved towards the door and pushed it open.

The bedside lamps were on their lowest setting, throwing soft shadows on the pale walls and casting a warm glow throughout the large room. Though his vision wasn’t the best, Jack could still see the still bodies of his parents lying side by side in the bed.

He yowled, unsure of what to do. They were still in their human form, maybe they were asleep? He yowled again, trying to wake them up. His child mind couldn’t reconcile the forms of his parents in their bed and the splashes of blood on the walls, darker than the shadows the lamps caused. He couldn’t think about the wet shine of the fresh blood on the covers, nor his da’s limp arm hanging off the bed, dripping red onto the carpet.

Jack stood in the doorway, shivering and mewling pathetically, gripping his kitty and puppy blanket firmly in his little jaws. _/...mum? Da?/_

The sound of the windows shattering in the kitchen snapped Jack out of his daze, and he screeched. _I don’t know what to do, the house is on fire and I’m scared and Mum and Da are dead and someone killed them and set the fire and I’m so scared!_ His instincts told him to run, so that’s what he did. He ran back into his room and hid under his bed. _Help me, someone help me I’m scared Mum and Da are dead! Please help me!_

A shadow passed his doorway, and deep human laughter rolled through the darkness. Jack clamped his mouth shut and scurried further under his bed, pressing up against the wall. _Help me..._  

  
  
  


**BZZZZZZT!**

Q jerked awake, a panicked noise escaping his chapped lips as he gripped the covers. His brain scrambled to catch up with his body, trying to shut down the panic reaction from what he knew was a nightmare. He blinked once, twice, his heart jackhammering in his chest. He panted into the darkness and shivered hard.

“I’m...safe. I’m alright. I’m home, in my bed. I’m in London, I’m in my flat. I’m safe.”

**BZZZZZZT!**

“And that is my work alarm, it isn’t a fire alarm.”

_Not that there was a fire alarm that night…_

Q squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shut the memory out of his mind. He flung the covers back, the coolness in the air serving to calm his mind even more. Cold sweat shone on his naked body, backlit by the lights of the city shining through his bedroom window. He sat on the edge of his bed, his back muscles flexing with each desperate breath of fresh, cool air.

He shivered out the last of the terror, and silenced his alarm, not even caring to look at the time. He knew he’d only been asleep for an hour at most. The days leading up to and following the lunar cycle were complete chaos, and this morning was the worst of the lot.

Right on cue, his work mobile lit up, buzzing softly on silent mode. He spared it a glance. Caller I.D. identified Eve Moneypenny as the caller, and Q picked up on the fourth buzz.

“Morning.”

“Well, don’t you sound bright eyed and bushy-tailed this fine morning!”

Q pushed the heel of one hand into his right eye socket and rubbed mercilessly. “You sound ridiculously awake, Eve. I need your secret.” He levered himself out of bed and padded to the kitchenette to flick on the electric kettle. “Seriously.”

“Eye drops and my favourite barista.”

Q chortled. “Will do. Has the world exploded yet?” He slid onto the barstool and powered on his laptop, then reached past it to grab a banana.

“More like your email box. 007 and 006 are back from their little ‘team-building’ exercise in Scotland, none the worse for wear. 009 wants her Walther back for Macau, and 0015 is requesting some sort of backup in Camden.”

Q scowled and opened his work email. “Camden? What the hell is he doing there?”

“Breakfasting with family, apparently.”

Q rolled his eyes. “Of course, he’d be the only one out of this outfit with an _actual_ family, wouldn’t he?” It was true. Though estranged for political and safety reasons, 0015 - Samuel Hardwicke - did indeed have a family. A wife and two girls. He went to see them as often as he could, as safely as he could.

_Must be nice._


	3. Chapter 3

“Mornings after the full moon cycle should be banned completely.” Q threw the file folder to the side and dropped his head into his hands. “All I’ve got is a pack of unstable, ornery lycans and some rather pissed off vampires and absolutely natch done over the three days.”

“Don’t forget the destroyed lab. You can blame that one on Harry.” Todd tossed a biro at Q from across the room, hitting him right on the crown of his head.

Q snatched it out of the air on the rebound. “If you throw one more thing at me, I’m going to destroy your credit rating and have your job transferred to Cardiff.”

“Hey, that’s fine. I can watch all the shows being filmed before you people get to see them. Sounds like a plan.” Todd grunted and twirled around in his chair. “Unless you are trading me with someone from Torchwood.”

Q leaned back in his chair, ignoring Todd’s rambling. “Ugh. It’s like a bank holiday that people don’t want to come back from because their hormones are running rampant still and animal instincts can be used as a viable assault defence and things get broken when there are stroppy wolves stalking around my labs.”

“As if it’s only the wolves, Quartermaster.” A raspy growl rolled over him, and Q rolled his eyes.

“And that right there is why I don’t interact with most lycans. Always jumping to conclusions and assumptions.” Q jerked around in his chair and faced 0012, who leaned against the open door. “I say wolves because most of the field agents are wolves. The ones that cause the most damage after a cycle - which I am still trying to figure out why the damned cycle makes one iota of difference in your collective temperaments and I.Q. scores - happen to be wolves.”

“Doesn’t mean you need to lump us all together,” 0012 growled.

Q sighed. “Why am I not surprised that you are having a fit over it, you are a prick at the best of times. This would not count as the best of times. What could you possibly want?”

“I went down to the labs and didn’t find you there, so I sniffed around and found you here.”

 _Typical - displaying his natural ability as a weapon, showing his imagined superiority. Not thrilled._ Q tapped his captured biro on the table. _And certainly not impressed._ “And why did you feel the need to track me down?”

“Why aren’t you down in your domain, little Quartermaster?” 0012’s lip curled up into a snarl that he didn’t bother trying to hide as he blatantly ignored the question. “The pups down there are getting anxious without you to protect them.” He looked around the meeting hall; it was empty save for Todd and Q, the others having gone off to their own departments and cubby holes for the day after the conference. He stalked across the carpet towards the two men. Todd stiffened, ready to bolt. Q couldn’t quite blame the poor man. Being human did have distinct disadvantages when working around the supernatural jetset. Instinctively, Q went on the offensive to keep the 00’s attention off of Todd.

“I’m finishing up the notes from the meeting we just had. One that you would have known about, had you actually read your emails for once.” Q refused to give in to the blatant menace that rolled off of 0012, and he refused to let the same menace he felt inside himself raise his own hackles. “A meeting that had everything to do with the wolves and their tendency to wreak havoc everywhere from the gym to Munitions and even Transport after a moon cycle.” He flipped a hand towards the lycan wolf. “Expect a stern letter in your box and a personal meeting with Personnel within the week. You know. Since you are among the ones I’ve been referring to.”

0012’s heavy hand slammed to the oak table mere inches from Q’s own hand, and he leaned down, his face full of barely contained ire. Todd froze in place. Once again, Q couldn’t blame the man. Instead of listening to the small voice in the back of his head telling him to back off, he met 0012’s glare with one of his own. All it garnered was a threatening growl that rumbled out of 0012’s wide chest, one that morphed into words. “Oh, really?”

Deciding that he really did have a death wish on par with some of the best 00’s, Q rolled his eyes again in full view of the testy wolf in his face. “Yes, really. Now, if you don’t mind removing yourself from my personal space, I have more work to do, including cleaning up after you and your over-hormonal mates.” His own words were deeply pitched and not at all aimed to comfort and calm, the complete opposite of what he was trained.

0012 snarled in warning. “I wouldn’t play with fire, pup.”

“Hardly a pup, 0012. And you do not scare me in the slightest, so stop attempting to.” Pointedly, Q stared hard into the gold-tinged eyes locked with his and did not look away. “I have work to do, and if you want to be sent out on a mission with more than a slingshot and a tin can phone, I suggest you be the one not to ‘play with fire’, if we must resort to using tired cliches.”

A polite cough from the doorway snapped them from their staring contest, with an audible sigh of relief from Todd. The voice that carried through the room, unfortunately, put them all on edge again.

“What is going on here?”

0012 straightened up immediately, smoothing out his shirt and jacket and placing an amiable smile on his face that looked nothing of the sort to Q. “Nothing at all, sir.” Q took the moment of inattention as a chance to roll his shoulders, shaking out the tension before he turned to face the new M, Mallory. The vampire stared at them both with mild disdain from his position in the doorway.

M hummed lightly. “Agent Togan, may I remind you that baiting the executives can be seen as an early resignation request?”

“I don’t need to be reminded, sir.” The tone of 0012’s voice had even changed, moulded to placate the head of MI6’s specialised 00 programme. If Q rolled his eyes again, he was certain they’d fall out of his head, so he refrained. He knew what was coming next, and he was not disappointed.

“And Quartermaster, I’m sure you don’t need to be reminded of your training upon becoming a member of the executive staff.”

Q pushed to his feet, not bothering to smooth a damned thing out or put a falsely happy expression on as he snatched his tablet up and deliberately shouldered past 0012. “Hardly.” He moved quickly, in case Togan decided that early retirement did look good, and motioned Todd around the table. “Have a good day, sir.”

M stopped him with a withering look just as he was going to squeeze past. Q flicked a glare at him.

“I want to see you in my office as soon as you get things squared away down in Q-Branch. It seems your crew have called a holiday.”

“Straight away, sir.” Q huffed and swallowed the retort he really wanted to throw the vampire’s way. “Come along, Todd.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

It didn’t take Q long to calm down the impromptu 'a 00 showed up here and we are all bundles of over-caffeinated nerves' party in Q Branch, especially with how utter irritation tended to make him look like a harbinger of death. Well, that’s what he’d been told, at least, by the underlings that have been the target of his wrath.

When he got everyone corralled and the touchier shifters changed back, he sat at his desk and pretended to work, knowing that his mere presence would settle everything down. Once everyone was back at their desks and actually working on things that were moderately important to MI6 and England as a whole, Q left the branch in the capable hands of his second in command and walked right to M’s office, feeling disinclined to delay the tongue-lashing he was going to receive. He nodded smartly at Eve, who was perched on her chair and examining her nails. To an outsider, she seemed to be the picture of a bored secretary. But her pretty hair and nails and perfectly arranged desk were nothing more than an elaborate ruse, her placid stare and amused smile a perfect mask. To Q, she resembled a bird of prey, and the way she glanced up at him only cemented the image of a great golden eagle sitting on a fencepost in wait for her next target in his mind, despite her being nothing more than a tawny wolf. He walked past and knocked politely on the outer door to M’s sanctum. He didn’t have to wait long; Tanner opened it immediately and waved him inside, not saying a word to him as they passed through Tanner’s office and to the main door. Tanner stuck his head in. “The Quartermaster is here to see you, sir.”

“Send him in.” M wasn't happy, but he didn’t sound as ornery as most of the vampires at Legoland that day. Q took that as a good sign. He entered, his eyes adapting to the darkness almost instantly.

Like most vampires in London with offices above ground, M’s windows were covered with heavy black-out curtains, tightly shut to keep out even the slightest bit of sun, despite England’s propensity for sunless dreary days. Soft lighting by way of electric candles and accent lighting in the walls allowed for the preternatural senses of the lycans and the vampires, but humans were nearly blind. Q was most definitely not human, but that didn’t mean he felt comfortable in the room. Much too cliche and Hollywood-like. Boring. Predictable. He chose to stand at a loose parade rest in front of the great desk, ignoring the comfortable chairs on either side of him.

M himself relaxed in his own chair, regarding Q over steepled hands. His eyes, unnaturally bright in the dark room, bore into Q’s with no mercy. The instinctive challenge rose inside Q’s mind, and he didn’t look away, though that probably would have been the better choice, considering his position at the moment. After a moment of silence, M sighed and lowered his hands.

“Q, you are the head of your department, and frankly you are the best Quartermaster we’ve had in a long time. Must you pick fights with the very men and women you are sworn to protect?”

 _Pick fights? Jesus, really?_ Q fought to keep the snappish retort off his tongue. “If I may be so bold, sir?”

M waved one hand, eloquent and irritating as always. “As you wish.”

Q grit his teeth, fighting the urge to growl. “You hired me for a reason, yes?”

“The previous head hired you, Q.”

 _Yes, obviously._ “But by keeping me as the Head Quartermaster, you have hired me as well.” Q paused for effect. “Correct?”

M sighed again. “God help me, I did. Yes.”

“I’ve been chosen for my ability to face down those much older and stronger than me. I’ve been chosen for my headstrong personality and my ability to lead not only my own employees but agents out in the field. These things are still true, am I right?”

“You are.” M took a breath. “But you are -”

“If you believe I am abusing my position, you are sorely mistaken.” Q quelled the anger rising in him. There was a time and place for it, and this was definitely not. “Someone has to keep those agents in line. They can’t be sniffing around and causing trouble, especially down in my department. There are too many sensitive projects and dangerous equipment that we work with and create every day. Not to mention I’ve employed a few people who’ve proven to be…” He searched for a good word to use. “...jumpy, if provoked.”

“Q, the _agents_ are more than that if provoked, and you know it.”

 _Oh, do I know it._  It was like talking to a brick wall some days, and Q barely kept the sneer off his face. “Of course, sir. Some more than others.” He had someone in particular in mind at the moment, and what he wouldn't give to be able to put Togan in his place... _no. This is not the time._  It was his turn to take a steadying breath and continue. “And that is why I want them on some sort of leash and be able to exert some dominance over them. I'm not looking to become the be-all to end-all. All I want is some say in the matter." His feet slid on the carpeting as he shifted his weight. "It's not only that, either. My own reputation is on the line. If they are seen to be picking fights and bothering my people and I don’t at least try to stop them, then I could be viewed as weak. Then where would we be? You know damned well that the 00’s wouldn’t listen to me if that were to happen. Hell, they barely listen to their handlers as it is!” His hands tightened against his spine, bunching up the muscles in his back, and he could feel his anger starting to boil over in his gut.

M closed his eyes, and Q knew he’d scored a mark with the vampire. The slight twitch of one eyebrow confirmed it. “Damn it.” The curse was soft and heavy with defeat. “You are correct, as usual, Q.”

Q, anger receeding at the concession, decided now would be the perfect time to back off the attack. He lowered his hands to his side and loosened his stance even more, letting his voice carry a softer tone. “Listen, M. I know it’s frustrating being in a building full of hormonal animals" - here, he snorted, as if he were making a joke out of it. M's lips curved up into a small smile, and Q felt better. "I also know that we can’t afford a turf war so soon after the attacks. I definitely do not want to go through this myself. I'm not a fighter, and I certainly don't start the fights. I understand that I was being testy with 0012, but we are all on our last nerves because of the last cycle." Q supressed his eye-roll at using the excuse, but it was true. Tempers were worn thin simply by being around the negative energy in MI6 at the moment. "And for that, I apologise. But know that if there is indeed a fight to break out that it is entirely on my own head, especially if it happens to be provoked. I am willing to take any and all blame - ”

“It’s not that, Q. Not entirely. You should and do have free reign to take whatever measures necessary to ensure the safety of your employees and the agents.” M sighed again. “We can’t lose another Quartermaster, not to silly posturing.”

 _This man really has no clue about the dynamics of having a crapload of lycans stuck in one building, does he? And I'm certain there's an insult hidden somewhere behind the worried tones._ “And there is where you are wrong again, sir. It’s not ‘silly posturing’. It’s dominance. Everything will go off-kilter if there is no dominant individual; try to keep the fights from happening and you will have a bunch of over-trained, highly dangerous predators wandering the world doing as they damned well please with no way to retrieve them  because they are their own leaders and they don't have to listen to anyone else.” Q narrowed his eyes to drive home his point. “There has to be a cohesive pack structure built here, or this won’t work. The dominance battles are the risk we have to take to make it happen, and I’m willing to take on that responsibility.” There was much more to it, like energy bleeding and good old roughhousing, but Q didn't want to get into that, or he'd be here all week trying to explain all the dynamics of shifter psychology and he really didn't want to do that.

M swallowed.

Q knew he’d won.

“Alright.” M shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m agreeing with you, but I am. Alright. You have leave to do what’s necessary. Just don’t come crying to me if you lose one of these pissing contests.”

Q’s smirk was devoid of humour. “Believe me, if I lose one, there wouldn’t be enough left of me to cry to you. You’ll be lucky if Maintenance will mop me up.”

As he turned and walked out, he looked at M over his shoulder. “I don’t intend to lose.”

M closed his eyes once more after Q left. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”


	5. Chapter 5

“So, how did it go?”

James looked up from what he could only guess was something resembling borscht. He knew it wasn’t. Just looking at Alec’s face as he shoveled it into his mouth was proof enough. He turned to Togan. “Well. It went well. We haven’t lost our touch.”

Alec grunted around his mouthful of not-quite-borscht.

Togan sat down, tossing his plate onto the tabletop. “I’ve had a right shit day, myself. Stupid fucking…” He didn’t finish the sentence, choosing to bite into his sandwich with a certain viciousness that prickled at the corners of James’ senses.

A smooth smile spread across Alec’s face as he stared at Togan. “You’re a bit keyed up there, mate.” James hid the knowing glance he threw Alec’s way.

Togan’s leg jumped anxiously, and he toyed with the edge of his plate, ignoring the sandwich as he scowled at his buttered noodles. “Had a run in with that bastard Quartermaster earlier.” He said it like James would know what - and whom - he was talking about.

Sometimes, the agents seemed to forget there were more than one Quartermaster. Most were bastards in James’ opinion, if only because they all refused to ferry his request for another exploding pen up to R and D. James decided to play along, if only for the entertainment. “Oh?”  

“Yeah. That scrap of a pup needs to learn a lesson about who is really in charge around here.”

In front of James, Alec picked up his bowl and tipped it back into his mouth, barely hiding his smirk. James didn’t even bother as he shook his head. “You are letting it get to you, Mark.” He pushed his brownie onto Alec’s plate, and his friend snatched it up with a nod of thanks. “Besides, he is technically your superior. You do have to listen to him.”

“The hell I do!” The words were nearly lost in a growl, and James stiffened, spreading his hands out on the table to caution Alec from reacting. Alec still froze, eyes flickering through his usual green to gold and back again. Thankfully Togan didn’t do anything as crass and idiotic as shift right there in the canteen, but it was a near thing. Togan threw his silverware down and stood up. “He’s nothing but a nerdy upstart who prances around like he owns the damned place, and I’m tired of it.”

 _Nerdy upstart?_ James felt his stomach sink as he realised they were talking about _the_ Quartermaster. The new one, the spotty young thing whom really did deserve respect, the one that exuded confidence and command wherever he went. One of the only ones who wasn’t a bastard - well, not entirely. _What the hell is Togan going on about?_ “Where are you going?” James stood up. He could feel Alec’s sharp eyes following his movements.

“To show that little shit what it means to piss off a wolf.” And with that, Togan left the room, slamming through the swinging doors and disappearing down the hall. James stood by the table, one hand still braced on the Formica.

“So?”

He glanced down at Alec. “So what?”

“What are you going to do about this?”

“You’ve got crumbs on your shirt.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Answer my question.”

“The Quartermaster can handle his own.”

Alec’s brow rose.

“He’s an executive of MI6, he can handle himself.”

Alec cocked his head.

“I’m not going to go save him.”

“But you are going to go stop Mark and talk some sense into him.”

James sighed in defeat. “Yeah, I am.”

“Thereby saving Q from what could be a very bad death.”

James rolled his eyes. “Shut up.” He pushed away from the table and walked out of the canteen, Alec on his heels.

**  
  
  
  
  
**

Q leaned back in his chair and grinned at the screen. “Perfect. Everything works the way it’s supposed to. I am the master of my domain.” He stretched and stood to his full height. “All in all, a good day -”

The doors slammed against the walls behind him, snapping him ramrod straight in a sudden danger reaction he couldn’t quite train himself out of. He jerked his head around to see who in their right mind would startle his minions and apparently him. Various yelps and indignant squawks rang out over Q Branch, and one poor sap - he’d wager it was Sammy, poor thing - shifted immediately into his monkey form and disappeared into the rafters, his long arms and tail helping him swing up to the ceiling and out of the way of the rampaging 00 who had breached their defences.

0012.

_Oh shit. Good day gone._

As 0012 stalked down the line of tables and desks, Q turned to him fully and loosened himself into a parade rest, letting none of the tension of before through. He wasn't one to cower in a corner, not anymore. “What can I do for you, Twelve?”

The man halted three feet from Q, eyes narrowed in unmasked menace and raw hunger.

_Oh, shit shit shit._

The beast inside himself fought at the invisible cage holding him in, and Q did his best to ignore him. “Twelve, if this is about earlier -”

“It is.”

Q could hear how close 0012 was to shifting. His words were barely human, and they resonated inside his head as well as through the air around them, charged with the intensity all shifters had but only the 00’s utilised to full effect. Q swallowed hard, but he knew 0012 wasn’t going to back down. So neither could he.

Behind his back, one finger reached out and hit a key on his wireless keyboard that simultaneously turned off outer surveillance and had the inner surveillance start recording the incident. He’d need the proof that 0012 initiated whatever was about to happen, especially if he lost. He contemplated locking the doors as well, but he wrote that off just as quickly as he’d thought it. His coworkers would need a way to escape, and security would need a way in to clean up the mess.

“Well, at least I can applaud your ability to get straight to the point.” Q sucked in a breath. “I apologise for the indiscretion, Twelve, but you know what I must do, as the Head Quartermaster. I have no choice but to implement certain measures to ensure my staff’s safety and the continued cooperation of your own comrades. I can’t be seen as the weak one, here.” His mind flickered through options as fast as he could think. He couldn’t risk sending out a mental alert to the people around him. Not only would 0012 notice, but the humans wouldn’t be able to hear it. There was an alarm next to his keyboard, but he was a bit too far away from it to press it before 0012 would reach him.

0012 growled. “Not good enough.”

Q sighed, trying to fall back on his executive training as much as he could. He held his hands out placatingly.  “I’m sorry.”

“You.” The word wasn’t human anymore. 0012 had full intentions to shift, right here and now. _Shit, buggering shit._ “You think you’re so tough, the top of the chain of Legoland, the dominant of our happy little family.” 0012 loosened his suit jacket and slipped it off, dropping the expensive fabric to the floor. “Let’s put that to the test.”

 _Shit_. Now the beast within growled, spitting angry. He was speaking to Q, in his mind and his body. / _letmeout/_

_No. That’s not how we will handle this._

The words, the emotions felt like sparks of lightning shooting through his nervous system.

_/letmeOUT/_

_No._

In front of him, 0012 suddenly shifted, almost too fast to follow; remaining clothes tearing from the violence of the shift, trousers and shoes in tatters that clung to new fur. The worry permeating the air turned into panic as shifters scrambled out of sight and the humans and the very few vampires stood stock-still in fascinated horror as the large, dark grey wolf settled down on all fours and kicked out of the ruined clothing.  

 _/let. Me. OUT. He’ll kill you like this, you know it. Let me out./_ The beast was closer to the surface now. He was making full sentences, and Q could feel the power under his skin, like a lightning storm brewing in a glass jar.

_Shit._

And then 0012’s voice cut through the clatter of Q’s brain. / _Come on, pup, what are you waiting for? I’d like to see what you are capable of./_

The wolf in front of him drew back his lips, showing spit-wet teeth and letting loose a deep burbling growl that shook the room to the core. Another shifter spontaneously shifted and flapped away on brightly coloured wings. Q grunted as a shock of anger snapped through his brain. _That was Missy,_ Q thought uselessly. _He’s scaring my minions and intruding in my territory. Alright. Fine. Enough is enough._

He unzipped his cardigan and tossed it onto his desk. “Alright.” His fingers didn’t shake as he unbuttoned his shirt. “I don’t want to ruin this shirt, it’s the only decent one I have until Friday.” He slipped it off his shoulders. “And I am certainly not ruining it for your pathetic dick-wagging. Not much I can do about my trousers, but I do have some dignity left.” He was done with calm. He was done with collected. The shirt pooled onto the floor at his feet as James Bond swung open the door. Q saw him distantly, very distantly as he let the beast out of his cage.


	6. Chapter 6

James cursed his luck and his ankle, injured during Caracas and aggravated during the deer chase. It had slowed him down, and they were too late. Alec halted just behind him, and James bit out a curse. “Shit, Mark’s already shifted. Wonder how Q’s gonna handle…” His words died on his tongue as he spotted Q. “Holy…”

“Think Q hit the panic button?” Alec looked up. “Oh, mother of God. That’s…” He swallowed and pushed ahead past Bond to see better. “That’s beautiful. He’s beautiful.”

James smirked, pushing down the sudden swell of worry that gnawed at him. “Well, Q’s definitely not a pup.”

Standing on four powerful legs where Q had been was a sleek black leopard. The bright lights played upon Q’s coat, highlighting the very faint spots hidden in the dark fur. His golden eyes sparked and flickered, then narrowed in warning. His lips lifted, displaying a very impressive set of lethal teeth. Out of that mouth came a deep growl that made the short hairs on the back of James’ neck crawl and twitch. His breathing picked up pace, and he squeezed his hands into fists.

Alec’s breath hissed out behind his teeth. “Jesus.”

James fought to relax, ignoring the wolf in his head that was begging to play with the nice kitty. “You have to admit, Q’s only an inch or two shorter than me as a human, though nowhere near my weight. That does not translate into a huge leopard, but…” He glanced forward again as Togan let out another growl, this time mixing it with other lupine vocalisations, trying to intimidate the large cat he faced off with. “He’s still bigger than Mark. Somehow.”

Alec barked out a laugh as he watched the standoff. “Q seriously - what? He seriously rolled his eyes at him! He’s a lunatic.”

“He’s confident. I’ll hand him that.” James watched carefully. If Togan made a move, James knew he was in a position to stop him. He stepped inside the sanctuary of Q-Branch and started unbuttoning his shirt, and felt Alec do the same next to him.

**  
  
  
  
  
**

To human and vampire ears, Q and 0012 weren’t talking, just making noises and posturing. To other shifters...well, they still weren’t talking. Q didn’t move a muscle after he shifted other than to declare his intent to defend the spot, his territory, his Q Branch. Twelve continued his silly growling and pawing at the ground, still challenging him. Finally, Q got sick of it, sick of the silence and sick of 0012 and his games.

_/You do realise that a lone wolf isn’t much of a match against a leopard, right?/_

Twelve growled again. / _I’ve taken down bigger and badder than you, kitten./_  The word ‘badder’ was tossed out on what could have been a condescending snort if it weren’t so menacing.

Q snorted right back. / _Oh, now I’m a kitten? What happened to pup?/_

_/Well, come on then, tough little Quartermaster./_

_/What? You were the one to challenge me, Twelve. I don’t want to - /_

That thought ended as quickly as it started, because Twelve leapt at him, mouth open and teeth gleaming. Q did the simplest thing he could do. He turned his head away, bringing up one shoulder and letting the bastard sink his teeth into hard muscle and thick fur. It was a quick way to gauge how serious Twelve was about fighting him like this, and would tell Q how to react -

Lightning shot through his shoulder as 0012 bit down, and Q hissed in pain and tried to pull away. _Well, he’s serious. Shit shit shit. That settles that._ Twelve latched on, his bite force immense and unsurprising. Q was suddenly very glad he’d hid his head.

Now, to retaliate. He had a heavier body, a lower center of gravity, and he used it to full effect as he twisted hard, yanking Twelve around with him and slamming the wolf into the sturdy desk. Q’s brain sparked out as the pain in his shoulder tripled with the action, and a pained snarl escaped from his throat. Computer parts and tools rained down on the pair, and Twelve yelped as his own shoulder separated against the steel table leg. The jaws attached to Q lost their grip, and Q twisted out of the hold and pushed hard against 0012, knocking the wolf off-centre and away from him. he could feel blood trickling through his thick fur, but he ignored it as 0012 attacked again, limping on three legs and incensed. Jaws snapped shut and claws dug into fur and skin. 0012 yelped again as Q’s razor-sharp claws raked across his already wounded shoulder, and he headbutted the leopard. Stars filled Q’s vision, and he backed away with a growl, blinking and shaking his head hard to clear it. 0012 took the opportunity and lunged, latching onto Q again. His target was the nape of Q’s thickly muscled neck, but Q ducked instinctively. All 0012 got was the point of Q’s shoulder again, but he bit down hard anyway. Q hissed and lashed out with his hind feet, kicking at 0012 underbelly with just his paws first, unwilling to rip open the wolf’s stomach, no matter how upset he was at the proceedings. 0012 shook his head, yanking at the torn flesh, and Q bucked hard, knocking the wolf off of him with a kick squarely in the chest. He felt ribs give under the vicious kick, and now 0012 backed off, further than before. Q pushed himself to his feet, refusing to acknowledge the burning agony in his shoulder and the blood that had gone from dripping to running in rivulets down his skin, turning his black fur brown. He saw 0012 readying himself for another go at it, and he braced for impact.

Suddenly, twin blurs of motion swept into the melee. Pale brown and grey streaked into Q’s vision, the first knocking Twelve away from him while the second pushed him away from the table and away from the fight. Instinctively, Q growled and roared at the loss of his quarry - his _target_ \- and twisted around, snapping his jaws shut around nothing. The grey blur was gone before his teeth clacked together, then suddenly it was back, ramming hard into his front and knocking him to the ground. Q was effectively trapped, on his back with the grey wolf above him, bracketing him with his legs and holding him there. Q roared again and tried to get a good angle to chomp off a chunk of fur. His shoulder dragged on the concrete, leaving smears and streaks of blood, and that only pissed him off further. He opened his mouth as soon as he had a shot at the wolf’s foreleg, _gonna snap that in half and then this one’s out of commission too -_

_/Quartermaster! Stop fighting!/_

He froze mid-bite and grumbled deep in his chest with realisation.

_/007?/_

_/Yes. It’s me. Please don’t eat my leg./_

Q stopped and pulled his mouth back. His vision focused uncomfortably on 007 directly above him, not trapping him but standing guard over him as 0012 scuffled with...Q craned his head around and saw another wolf, tawny brown and thickly muscled. _/006?/_

007 responded. /Yes./

At the mention of his name, 006 kicked out from beneath 0012 and body-slammed him into the wall, holding him there with his heavier weight despite the smaller wolf’s enthusiastic attempts to get loose. / _Hello, Quartermaster. Nice day for it, yeah - Togan! It’s me, stop fucking biting my leg you little shit!/_

_/Fuck off, Trevelyan./_

Above him, 007 snorted and huffed, the closest thing a wolf could come to laughter. He looked back down at Q, his golden eyes somehow soft and fiery at the same time. / _Can I let you up now?/_

Q huffed out a breath and licked his nose clean of the blood and hair. _/I suppose. If he attacks me again, though, I will defend myself./_

 _/I’ll let you rip his hide off, if he’s stupid enough to try for you again. Togan!/_ 007 turned to stare at the other grey wolf as 006 let him away from the wall. / _Let’s go. There’s nothing here for you. Let’s get you to - /_

_/The little fucker busted my shoulder! I’m going to kill him!/_

_/And you deserved it too./_ Q couldn’t help but snark at the incensed wolf. It only pissed 0012 off further, and he tried to lunge at the prone leopard. 006 bodychecked him, pointedly hitting his injured side, and 0012 yelped, breaking off the attack.

 _/Togen! Don’t be stupid, he’ll rip you apart./_ 006 pushed his snout against 0012’s shoulder. _/Let’s get you to Medical so we can get this checked out./_

007 turned and growled in Q’s face, his teeth bared slightly. _/Don’t antagonise him./_

Q grinned, fully aware that it looked decidedly not-grin-like on a leopard, and tried to inject some humour into the charged situation. _/Can’t help it. He’s so fun to toy with./_

 _/Quartermaster./_ It wasn’t a request.

_< Sorry. I’ll stop.>_

_< Thank you. Alec, get Togan to Medical and have his shoulder looked at.>_

006 nodded and pulled 0012 up by the scruff of the neck, helpfully dragging him out of Q Branch. 0012 shouted and cursed the entire way, and wasn’t quiet until the doors shut behind them. Q finally relaxed, dropping his head to the concrete floor and sighing. He looked up at 007. / _I’m sorry about that...whatever that was. You didn’t have to get involved./_

007 looked away from him towards the puddles of scared people and shifters scattered around the large room. / _We were involved before it even turned into Fight Club: Lycan Edition. Alec and I followed him from the canteen to make sure he wasn’t going to do anything stupid./_

_/And how did that go for you?/_

007 snorted. _/Went about as well as I thought it would. I don’t know what you did to piss him off so badly, but don’t do it again./_

Q stiffened under 007. / _You mean telling him to lay off my coworkers and my equipment, and stop making so many messes after the full moon? Which I fail to see why the damned moon makes you people so damned moody to begin with. So if I was doing my job, I’m sorry./_  He growled up at the wolf.

007 looked down and squinted, a playful glint in his eye. / _Something to do with lay lines and faes and whatever else Psych can come up with. I say it’s just excuses to be arseholes - /_ His gold eyes narrowed further. / _You’re bleeding pretty heavily, Q./_

 _/Oh?/_  Q shifted against the floor, trying to get a good look at his shoulder, and paused in awe at the red spreading on the pale concrete. _Well, yeah, I suppose there is quite the puddle growing._ / _Didn’t think it was that bad./_

007 moved immediately, letting Q get up. When Q moved, twinges of pain shot through his muscles. He sat on his haunches and began cleaning himself up, ignoring the coppery taste of his own blood. Gently, 007 nuzzled his head away so that he could get a good look and sniff.

 _/He got you good, it looks like. The skin’s torn in a few places./_ 007 nudged Q in the side. _/Looks like you are going to Medical, too. Just not at the same time as Togan./_

 _/Oh, seriously?/_ Q snorted. _/If he wants to start something in there, he’s really an idiot. Come on, I’d rather not - hold on./_ He stood up, favouring his injured right shoulder, and looked over the room. He rumbled out a comforting sound, hoping everyone would understand. He wasn’t about to shift back in front of everyone. He had some dignity, after all. But he had to try to comfort his minions. _/It’s over, guys. I’m sorry you had to see that, but the crisis is over./_

A few blinked back at him, too stunned or shocked or afraid to respond. Sammy hooted from the rafters and swung down to his desk to snatch up his emergency knapsack of clothes. A deer poked its head out from under the main computer desk, and a smattering of foxes scattered around the room called out to each other in relief. Missy squawked and flapped. The ones that hadn’t shifted finally moved around, calming the frightened ones and getting their work back into order. The vampires, the few that were there, attempted to act like nothing had happened at all, but it was a farce.

No one wanted to be in an enclosed room with two fighting predators, let alone four.

Marginally satisfied, Q finally let 007 lead him out of Q Branch. He’d clean up the mess later.


	7. Chapter 7

Medical was in an uproar, and with good reason. Alec met James and Q at the door, dressed in sweatpants and nothing else. “Mark’s going apeshit in there.” He glanced at Q with a critical and level eye. “Seems our Quartermaster hurt more than the bastard’s shoulder.” And of course, James and Q could hear Togan’s rant from where they were. To everyone else, it sounded like one pissed off wolf howling at anyone who’d listen and a few who wouldn't. “And he’s refusing to shift back to human, of course.”

James huffed, since he was still in his wolf form, unable to respond to Alec properly. He’d noticed that he could send a response mentally, but he wouldn’t receive one, nor would he be able to tell if Alec would get it unless Alec responded verbally. Half the time, he wouldn’t even bother to try. Telepathic communication was still in the infancy stages of investigation, and no one could quite explain if it worked or how it worked satisfactorily. Beside him, Q grumbled and groused.

_/Bastard deserved it./_

James huffed and pulled his lips back in an approximation of a smile. / _Now, now. No hard feelings./_

Q swung his head and blew out a breath, not quite a huff, and Alec smiled down at him. “Shit, but aren’t you a big one.” He reached out slowly, carefully. “Let’s see that shoulder. Fur’s looking a little red.”

Instead of stepping out of Alec’s reach and hissing like James half-expected him to, Q stood still and let Alec investigate his injury. James mentally smiled. _No wonder people like him._ He’d also seen how Q refused to attack until entirely provoked. _That was good, very good for someone in his position._ James knew just how hard it was to hold back, especially when defending something.

“Q, can you shift back? This is going to need stitches.” Alec prodded lightly, drawing a low hiss out of the leopard. “Oops, sorry. Didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Q stepped back with a nod and limped over to a room that looked empty from James’ standpoint. He nosed past the curtain with one look over his wounded shoulder and disappeared behind it, leaving a dark smear of blood where his shoulder brushed against the white fabric.

“Poor thing still has shreds of dignity left.” Alec laughed, and James laughed with him. Well...laughed as much as a wolf could, which wasn’t much more that chuffing and awkward lip curling. Alec laughed even harder and slapped James on his furry shoulder. “You sound like a dog with a cold, James. Stop trying to be human while being a wolf.”

James whinged and pawed over his nose, feigning embarrassment. _/Alec, you are a prick./_ Hell, it was worth a shot to try to send the sentiment over the mental link. As expected, there wasn’t much of a reaction from his friend.

A shadow moved across the curtain, smaller than before, catching their attention. “007? 006? Mind bringing me a gown or something? It’s cold in here.”

Without a second thought, James trotted off to the linen closet down the hall and pawed it open. He stared at the contents for a moment, then leaned forward, taking a couple gowns and a towel into his mouth and pulling them down. Of course, with his luck being what it was, the rest of the stack of linens came toppling down on top of him, burying himself in whites and beiges and blues. He groaned and shook the washing flannels off his head and rolled his eyes dramatically. Alec only laughed harder.

“He tried getting the gown by himself, didn’t he?” Q’s voice was strangely strong and clear for a man who had just gotten mauled by a supposed ally. More points in Q’s favour. James dug his way out of the linens and walked to the room. _Damn it. I can’t let him know I’m coming in like this…_ He dropped the gowns and towel to the floor and yipped once, twice.

A hand streaked with blood reached out, searching, and ended up patting him on the nose. “Oops, sorry 007.” Q reached down and snatched up the clothing. “I’ll just get changed and then I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

James sat down on his haunches and listened to Togan’s rant and the soft sounds of Q dressing.

“Alright.” Q was quieter, sending a quick surge of worry through James' brain.

James nosed the curtain aside and slipped in, Alec right behind him. Q sat on the edge of the bed, holding the towel to his shoulder. It was already turning dark, and Q looked decidedly paler. _Maybe Q shouldn't have shifted._

Alec paused, saying what they both thought. “Maybe you should have stayed a leopard.”

Q waved with his other hand. “It’s fine. We’re in Medical. If I pass out, I’m already in the right place to be treated. I’m fine.” He pressed the towel harder to his shoulder and winced. “Stings a bit.”

A nurse stuck her head in. “Um, sirs?”

“Yes?” Alec and Q turned and looked at her, and James snuffled.

“Um, the doctors are all busy. Sir, if you could -”

“We can handle it, Donna, thank you.” Q sighed. “Just bring a suture kit here for Alec, will you?”

 _Wait. You don’t trust me with a sharp implement anywhere around you, and you are letting Alec near you with a suture kit?_ James pawed at the ground and growled lightly.

“007, do not argue with me. I’d let you, but you don’t even have opposable thumbs right now.”

James leaned back slightly, wondering just how well Q could read him.

Q sighed and shivered, then waved at Donna. “Probably grab one of those bags of saline while you’re at it.” She stood there, hand on the curtain, staring dumbly at Q. He blinked at her. “Well, go on, then! I’m bleeding out on the table, if it makes you feel any more inclined to react.” And apparently it did, because Donna disappeared with a yelp. James walked over to the curtain and stood watch, waiting for her to return with the equipment, refusing to look at Q. “Oh, get off it.” Q shifted on the bed, then blinked again. “...that wasn’t a good idea…”

James jerked his head around just in time to watch Q topple to the single pillow, his hand slipping from the makeshift dressing as he passed out. James twitched where he stood and whinged up at Alec, who reacted calmly, reaching out with both hands to simultaneously check the Quartermaster’s pulse and re-apply pressure to his shoulder.

After a minute, Alec nodded. “He’s fine. Weak, but fine. Still breathing, still bleeding.”

James whinged again, ending it with a grunt. _/I’m gonna go have a chat with Mark./_

Even if he didn’t hear the words, Alec turned to James and nodded once more. “Go on, have it out with that shithead.” He continued to mutter to himself as James padded out through the curtain. “Idiot, he knows better than this. Something’s got to be going on…”

**  
  
  
  
**

 

James didn’t waste any time. He pushed through the curtains of Togan’s bay and sat, impatient, as the doctor on duty attempted to set the agent’s shoulder while he was in wolf form. It wasn’t easy to dodge snapping jaws, though.

Once Mark caught sight of James, he settled down.

 _/About time you do something smart, Mark./_ James narrowed his eyes. _/While Hamilton’s treating you, let’s talk./_

 _/About what?/_ Mark didn’t sound too thrilled, and rightly so. James made no attempt to hide his intentions, and Mark could definitely sense it.

_/What, exactly, was all that about? And don’t give me any bullshit, either, or you’ll have a matching set./_

Mark winced, his lips pulling back from his teeth, as his shoulder popped back into place. _/I already told you - I’m going to teach that brat a lesson./_

James growled, low in his chest, and the medical staff turned to stare at him. Hamilton gave him the hardest look he could muster, which wasn’t much considering he was in the presence of two powerful predators. “I don’t want any trouble in this room, you understand?”

James switched his golden gaze to the human doctor. It didn’t take long for Hamilton to backpedal, hands held in front of him. Satisfied, James turned back to the wolf on the table. _/Not an option. That is the Head. He’s the head of his department, and the head of the dwindling group of individuals who still have the tenacity and the willingness to work with the agents./_ He stretched his head to one side. _/And thanks to shit like this, that number is still dropping. What the hell are you thinking?/_

Mark huffed painfully. James made a mental note to not actually irritate Q to the point of shifting, because it would end much the same way. _/He’s a shit./_

 _/He’s a fucking executive, Mark! You can’t just pick and choose which to listen to and which to ignore, and you certainly can’t pull stunts like this./_ James had already had just about enough of Mark’s attitude. _/What is your problem?/_

_/You know what my problem is, Bond -/_

_/Other than you sounding like a broken record, I don’t. Enlighten me./_ James narrowed his eyes further. _/What did you do to piss him off so badly? And if you blame the moon, so help me I will shoot you myself./_

Mark shifted on the table. Without warning, he became a starkly naked man, and the people around him jumped and backed away. Mark scowled darkly at James. “I’m just off a mission, idiot.”

James rolled his eyes at the childish display. _So he doesn’t want to talk. Fine._ Without another thought, James shifted as well.

One of the nurses fainted dead away.

“Good lord...you really want to know, don’t you?” Mark snorted and flopped back on the bed with a wince, all the fight seeming to blow out of him with a huff of air. His torso bore the marks of his and Q’s fight; deep bruising around his shoulder, scratches and deeper gouges where Q hadn’t been afraid to use his natural weapons. “Wish I could answer with something other than ‘I don’t know, just itching for a fight, I suppose’.” He looked tired.

James growled and stood to his full height. “I - you’re kidding me.”

Mark shrugged his good shoulder. “I can’t think of any other reason. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong fucking brat.”

“Talking to you is like talking to my gun. Lethal and refuses to listen to reason. Damn it, Mark! Q may be a little shit, but he’s the _head_ little shit, and you will be lucky if you get out of this without getting shot for some manner of treason.” James stalked forward. “There’s something going on.”

The strange look that ghosted over Mark’s face told James that whatever that something was, Mark had no idea about it. “Not sure what you are talking about, mate.”

James swallowed his irritation. “Of course not, you’re too damned bull headed to notice if there was.” He turned to go, then stopped. He didn’t bother turning back to look at Mark. “He would have killed you, you know. There aren’t that many big cats left in England for a reason.”

Mark snorted. “And why’s that?”

“Not enough prey. Good day.” With that, James pushed out through the curtain.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taking a while to update pretty much all my things. My life has been slowly falling apart and rebuilding itself in different patterns. I have no guarantees of update schedules.

Q snuffled awake. Even in his currently incapacitated state, he was soon aware of two facts.

One - he’d passed out on 006 and 007, whom were most likely either pacing in misplaced worry or off getting drunk or laid or whatever those two mental patients do when he’s not around to scold them.

Two - there was a commotion down the hall about someone needing to at least wear pants if they were to be wandering around in Medical. That someone was starkers down here didn’t surprise him in the least - and shouldn't surprise anyone else because honestly? They work with shapeshifters, some whom much prefer to be unclothed most of the time, furred or not. Well...scaled. Griffiths from Intentions would scuttle around in his bearded dragon form for most of his workday unless he had an inordinate amount of paperwork that required thumbs to hold things with, and if someone spooked him, he spontaneously shifted back to human with no regard for who was around him. Q giggled weakly at the thought. Griffiths wasn’t exactly what you’d call...pretty.

Two more facts became apparent as more of his brain came online.

One - he had tubes running out of his arms. He stopped at this one and groaned, garnering 006’s attention from the visitor chair.

“Something the matter?”

Q grumbled in irritation at the plastics surrounding him, glad to have someone to grouse to. “Tubes. Both arms.”

006 set aside the complimentary military magazine - Q distantly noticed it was in Russian, which was a shock in itself - and leaned forward, focusing on Q. “You’d lost a lot of blood." He sounded resigned. "I couldn’t get the deeper bites to stop bleeding with direct pressure, so I think Mark hit a couple deep veins. Not badly, and there weren't any arteries hit or we wouldn't be having this conversation." He sighed. "The rips in the skin were really bad, too. They’ve got you on full-spectrum antibiotics, morphine, a saline drip, and I.V. nutrients to bring your levels back up.” The resigned look took on an amused shape, and he snorted. “Apparently, you’ve been starving yourself again.”

Q huffed. “That was one time, and it wasn’t me starving myself, it was me forgetting what day it was and not listening to my stomach.”

“See, I'm not worried about the 'why' part of this. I’m focusing on the ‘again’ part of the conversation I had with one of the doctors who came in to check up on you.”

Q slid his tongue around in his mouth, hating the taste of old blood and hair and general yuck. “I eat. Doctors are dumb and generally nosy and annoyingly righteous.” He flapped his hand around. “More reasons to poke you with needles and stick tubes in your arms. How long was I -”

“About half an hour.”

“Oh.” It’d felt like longer. Q shifted position in the bed, ignoring the twinges of pain that snaked through the drugs coursing through his system. “That isn’t too bad, then. And who isn’t wearing pants?”

006 snorted again, a boyish grin lighting his face. “One guess.”

“Oh, for…you know, I don’t think I want to know anymore.” Q rolled his head on the warm pillow. He chose to ignore the naked 00 wandering the corridors outside of the trauma bay and focused on the last fact that had eluded him, taking the form of a suitably remorseful-looking shapeshifter slouched against the metal doorjamb and glaring at the floor. “What in the name of all that is holy and good in this world is 0012 doing in my room?”

006’s grin only widened. “Well, he and James had a talk about the proper way to go about asking for equipment, and James told Mark that usually, beating up the man who designs and fabricates said equipment is not a good way to do it.”

0012 turned his glare to 006, who shrugged innocently and stuck his nose back into his magazine. Q squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. “You know, 0012, you can go ahead and bite him. I won’t stop you this time.”

That earned a snort and half-smirk out 0012. Q would count that as a win. He pushed himself up further in the bed with a small wince that got 006’s attention.  _No avoiding that one, I'm afraid._  0012 hunched his shoulders, looking for all the world like a teen caught skipping classes.

“Did...did you need…” 0012 waved a hand in the general direction of just about everything in the building. He was obviously very uncomfortable in the room. _Understandable. He's standing in the room of someone that he'd nearly killed not hours before. Anyone with a conscience would be uncomfortable_.

Q offered a smile. “I don’t need anything other than a small promise.” Q glanced over at his morphine drip and thumbed it down to the lowest setting. 0012 watched with carefully neutral eyes. “Don’t do something like that again. We have a gym for a reason. If you feel ornery and bitey, you go there, not to Q-Branch to pick on the underlings.”

0012 snorted quietly, but nodded. “Yeah. Sorry.”

Q waved it off, accepting the apology and perfectly willing to let bygones be bygones. It wasn’t as if either of them had been seriously injured in the altercation, and he was certain he'd made his point quite clear. “Come see me when you don’t feel like eating me and I don’t have a nearly uncontrollable urge to destroy your flat and freeze every bank account you have.” He narrowed his eyes at the man. “And if you still have issues, I have an offer for you.”

0012 straightened, clearly ready for an admonishment. “Anger management?”

“I’ll attack first, next time.”

006’s head snapped up from the article, showing he’d been paying attention the entire time. _Typical secret agent_. “There won’t be a next time.”

0012’s grin was nothing short of feral. “I’ll hold you to that, kitten.” The diminutive seemed softer, more pet name than slur now. Q was fine with that. He grinned right back, just as feral.

“Count on it. Now, disappear before I start throwing hypodermic needles at you.”

“With pleasure, sir.” 0012 turned an smart about-face and pushed out of the room, throwing out a “Damn it, James, put something on, no one wants to see your naked cock swinging about down there!” A scandalised ‘Oi!’ echoed through the hall, and Q dropped his head back to the pillow.

006 tossed his magazine to the floor and pinned Q with a hard glare. “There won’t be a next time, Quartermaster.”

006’s expression brooked no argument, but Q was up for a challenge now that he was waking up. He shrugged as well as he could. “‘Next time’ wouldn’t be as damaging, and it would be in the gym.” He stared directly at 006. “Whatever the hell all that was about is over.”

007 chose that moment to stalk into the room, cutting off 006’s retort, wearing the same sweatpants as 006 and not much else. “Good God. I’ve been dressed for a while now, and these people are still having a meltdown over me sprinting across Medical to get to the extra clothes.” He flopped into the other chair and rested his elbows on his knees. “It’s not my fault Madeline has a weak constitution and a weakness for - “

“Fit looking men?” Immediately, Q turned an interesting shade of red and groaned. “Oh, damn. Just...forget I said that.” He waved a hand towards his morphine drip. “This...thing, I swear.”

007 grinned, his eyes lighting up and sparkling with mirth. Q wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen that expression on the agent before. “I bet you say that to all the pretty boys and girls.”

“Argh. Shut up now, thank you.”

006 snorted and rolled his head on his shoulders, his neck making an noise that made Q flinch in sympathy. “James, can we explain to the nice Quartermaster that no one is going to have another go at each other, even in a controlled setting?”

007’s grin dimmed into a smug smile. “If Q thinks he can do it, let him. He’s already shown his worth. It’ll be his fault if he ends up back in this bed.”

006 gaped at 007. Frankly, so did Q, but for a different reason. Or maybe it was the same reason. Or maybe it was because he had no shirt on and Q always had a weakness for tanned skin, possibly because it was nearly impossible to tan himself, he always burnt and peeled and then looked a mess and it always hurt and he was rambling again, he had a habit of doing that when he was flustered…

“Why flustered, Q?”

Q jerked in the bed and blinked. “...I said that all out loud, didn’t I?”

Both agents nodded in unison.

“I’m going to take a nap.” Q turned onto his uninjured side, careful to not tug the tubing surrounding him. “When I wake up, I said nothing at all. Do you understand?”

006 smirked. “Right. Morphine. Gotcha.”

007 nodded serenely and crossed his arms over his chest. Q peered at him for a minute with one eye. He didn’t look as though he was going to move anytime soon. Q wasn’t sure exactly how he felt about that, but there was one emotion that seemed to push through the muddle that was his brain.

Comfort.

And with that last thought, slightly unsettling as it was to him, he let himself drift away.

 

 

 

 

 

They waited until the Quartermaster’s breathing evened out, then Alec leaned over the bed and upped the drip a couple of notches. “Just to help him sleep, mind you.”

“You don’t have to explain it to me.” James leaned down and picked up the magazine Alec had tossed away. “This better not be a skin mag.”

“In your dreams.” Alec sat back down with a huff. Fidgeted. Poked at a hole in the cushion.

James rolled his eyes in mild exasperation. “Alec. Stop it, you’re giving me a tic. What?”

“Mark is a bit stroppier this time. I mean, he always uses the moon as an excuse to be a sodding prick, but this time was a bit different.” Alec stretched, a bone thunking back into place in his back. “And even the others are tetchier. Did you see Anna this morning? She looked like hell, and even snarled at me when I asked her if she’d gotten a leg over the other night.”

James narrowed his eyes. Anna - 002 - normally was polite and soft-spoken, a product of her higher class upbringing and extensive training. She didn’t ‘do’ stroppy. Even at her worst, she never did more than look at someone strangely. “That’s not like her.”

“That’s what I’m getting at.” Alec matched James’ expression and pressed his hands together. “This isn’t normal behavior, and it seems to be affecting everyone. Hell, even we took a vacation after Caracas, because being around MI6 was like getting poked in the side with a very annoying needle every few seconds. Even now, it’s like…” He shrugged, and a muscle in his cheek twitched. “Itchy.”

James nodded. “Something to do with...here? Or out there?” He pointed in the general direction of the world outside of the inner sanctum that was MI6. This far down, it could be anywhere.

“Don’t know. But it’s irritating and making me want to punch things through walls.” Alec paused and nodded. “That’s it. That’s the feeling right there. I want to shift and chew on something or someone.”

James had to get more information because he sure as hell wasn’t feeling this so called ‘itch’. “Do you think it’s something down in research and development? They’re always mucking about with crap that makes us itch.”

“Could be.” Alec pushed to his feet. “I’m gonna go bug them.”

“Don’t be a dick.”

Alec paused just before the curtain and showed James his smoothest smile. “Don’t plan on it.”


End file.
